Nutrition News: Weight loss that works

Friday

Jan 10, 2014 at 12:45 PMJan 10, 2014 at 12:45 PM

By Charlyn FargoCreators Syndicate

Researchers from The Miriam Hospital have published one of the first studies of its kind to follow weight loss maintenance for individuals over a 10-year period. The results show that maintenance of long-term weight loss is possible if individuals adhere to key health behaviors.The study, published in the January 2014 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, followed nearly 3,000 participants in a 10-year observational study of self-reported weight loss and behavior changes. Lead author J. Graham Thomas followed participants who had lost at least 30 pounds and had kept if off for at least one year when they were enrolled in the National Weight Control Registry.The goal of the study was to determine how well participants kept the weight off and to identify predictors of successful weight-loss maintenance.Those successful in weight loss had several common habits — continued performance of physical activity, self-weighing, low-fat diets and avoiding overeating.Other findings from the study show that more than 87 percent of the participants were estimated to be still maintaining at least a 10 percent weight loss at years five and 10.The researchers found that a larger initial weight loss and longer duration of maintenance were associated with better long-term outcomes. Conversely, they found that decreases in physical activity, dietary restraint and self-weighing along with increases in fat intake were associated with greater weight regain.“What the results tell us is that long-term weight loss maintenance is possible, but it requires persistent adherence to a few key health behaviors,” said Thomas.There’s an app for thatRestaurants have jumped on the bandwagon to help with weight loss. Panera Bread has a “Panera Lose It! Challenge” with a power menu offerings and memberships in the MyPanera loyalty program. Consumers are challenged to try to lose five pounds in six weeks by dining on the Power Menu’s high protein, low-carb, heavy-on-the-veggies bowls, wraps and salads and tracking their progress with a free app for iPhones and Androids. The app tracks calories burned, minutes exercised and pounds lost and lets users see other members currently participating. Q & AQ: How hard do I have to be working for activity to be considered “moderate”? A: The intensity of activity considered moderate depends on your level of fitness. A simple recommended way to tell whether you are exercising at moderate-intensity is that you should be able to talk while doing it. But if you can sing, you are not pushing yourself hard enough for it to be considered moderate activity.After a few minutes of activity, if you can’t talk or can only talk in limited bursts, your exercise would be classified as vigorous. The most common choice of moderate activity is walking; for most people, moderate activity corresponds to a pace of 3 to 4 miles per hour (which means walking between three-quarters of a mile and a mile in 15 minutes). For some people, whose sedentary lifestyle, illness or excess weight has led to a low level of fitness, even less demanding whole body movement may actually be moderate activity.Recommendations for lower cancer risk and better overall health advise us to accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity daily. You’ll likely get even more health benefits, and greater help if you’re seeking weight loss, by accumulating 60 minutes a day (or 30 minutes a day of vigorous activity). This moderate activity can occur as intentional “exercise” or may be accumulated in blocks of 10 minutes or more as part of transportation to a job, school or errands, household chores or work.Decreasing sedentary time by boosting light activity also appears to provide health benefits, but for most people it cannot replace the health protection that comes from regular moderate activity.— Information courtesy of the American Institute for Cancer ResearchRecipe This recipe for Winter Vegetable Soup, from Cooking Light, takes a classic and makes it healthier with the addition of squash, kale and white beans.WINTER VEGETABLE SOUP1 t olive oil 2 ounces pancetta (or smoked bacon), chopped 1 cup chopped onion 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 cups cubed peeled acorn squash 2 cups diced peeled red potato 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup chopped carrot 1 t dried basil 1/4 t ground cinnamon 1/4 t dried thyme 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 4 cups chopped kale 1 (15.5-ounce) can navy beans or other small white beans, rinsed and drained Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; saute 3 minutes. Add onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes. Add squash and next six ingredients (squash through thyme), stirring to combine; cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes; cook 2 minutes. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 8 minutes. Add kale; simmer 5 minutes. Add beans; simmer 4 minutes or until potato and kale are tender.Serves four (2 cups each).Per serving: 349 calories, 14.4 g protein, 55 g carbohydrate, 10.4 g fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 10.5 g fiber, 1076 mg sodium.Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian from Springfield, Ill. For comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com or follow her on Twitter @NutritionRD.

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